


Episode IX: The Knights' Fall

by LunaPendragon96



Series: Star Wars: The Untold Tales [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, F/M, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-17 08:05:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14184561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaPendragon96/pseuds/LunaPendragon96
Summary: *TLJ SPOILERS* The Resistance is in tatters after the battle of Crait. Their hope rests on Rey, but where must she look when, for unknown reasons, she begins loosing control of the Force? Out of fear of harming her friends she must search for answers on a distant land, but will the answers she seek finally send her over the edge?Kylo Ren has the galaxy at his fingertips but the balance of the Force still eludes him. Does the key really lie with the last Jedi? And with the Knights of Ren plotting his end, will he last long enough to witness the end of this war?





	1. Dreams

Rey's breath came out fast and sharp as she ran. She sprinted across the island on Ahch-To that Luke Skywalker had once called home. She ran past green peaks and disappointed islanders as the porgs screeched and fluttered away from her. Rey had no idea how long she had been running- it could have been days or just meer seconds- but she continued to run, her hazel eyes focusing on the black draped man before her. So focused was she on the man she was only vaguely aware of the grey mist that was washing in from the sea, surrounding her and blocking her way back.

The fog floated in, silent and inconsistent, licking at her feet and rolling over the land. It soon began to fold onto itself until a man stood besides her- Luke, his beard and hair neatly trimmed, his dark robes hung around him, his old staff supporting his weight. Luke's bright blue eyes followed Rey as she ran. She almost stopped when she saw him, the wound of his loss was still too fresh in her heart to ignore.

The old Jedi looked at her with his knowing eyes and his voice echoed around them like a whisper of the wind, "I've seen this raw strength only once before." He said without even opening his mouth. "It didn't scare me enough then…"

Rey took an unsteady step towards the old master but her eyes caught a glimpse of the dark shape in the distance. No, she couldn't let herself be distracted, Luke was not who she was searching for. With a glance back at the legendary Skywalker, she continued to run, each step sinking into the soft ground so that, as she ran, clumps of mud and grass were dislodged, slowing her progress.

Another form began to solidify, a regal woman in elegant dark blue robes and an almost crown-like head dress. The woman looked at Rey with familiar soft eyes, General Leia Organa, "I just never should have sent him away. That's when I lost him."

Once again, the voice of the old hero echoed around the island, like a distant whisper, barely audible, yet impossible to misunderstand.

Although Rey saw no tears in the old mother's eyes, they glistened with almost all the stars of a galaxy drowning in loss. The young woman turned her head and slowed her pace but didn't stop, the dark shape was getting ever more distant and each step now felt like she was wading knee deep in mud.

Rey kept running, her arms reaching out for the dark shape that was still so far away. Just like Luke before her, Leia soon faded into the fog, which was only getting thicker, the rising peaks and huts of the island had become almost completely obscured by it, even the screeches of the progs had become muted.

Once again another shape began to mold itself into existence, one glimpse at the faux leather jacket and ruffled silver hair and Rey just knew that, if she turned her head, Han Solo would be there, with his mischievous grin and eyes. So Rey didn't turn her head, she didn't acknowledge the ghost that haunted her dream (for she was certain this was a dream) her eyes were focused solely on the dark silhouette before her. However, Han's voice still cut through her like a knife.

"There's nothing more we could have done. There's too much Vader in him."

Rey shook her head, trying to drown out their words, she couldn't believe them... she wouldn't...she refused too! That time, that time their hands had touched, even if it was for the briefest of moments, in their Force bond, she had glanced his future. He was destined to stand besides her in the light but not as Kylo Ren, but as…

"Ben!" she yelled as she shook her head, her voice drowning out the whole world. As the word vanished from her lips so did the heaviness that constricted her movement, the fog thickened into such a mass that now it completely obscured everything other than the dark shape before her. She reached out her hand to the back that was turned towards her.

"Ben!" she yelled again and as she blinked her calloused hand grasped the material of his tunic, in one final stride the distance between them had vanished.

The material was rough under her grip and the broadness of his shoulders filled her vision. She dared herself to look up, once again starting to say his name but, just as she was about to, the man vanished from her grip, as did the ground beneath her feet. Rey began to plummet into the darkness, but it wasn't any darkness, it was that same slime covered pit from Luke's island.

Rey screamed as it engulfed her, as the darkness threatened to suffocate her.

Panting, Rey forced herself awake, her hand on her chest while the other gripped what remained of Anakin's lightsaber. She tried with all her might to calm her pulse, she knew where she was, in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon, she could hear the snores and shuffles of what remained of the Resistance. Although she knew where she was, floating somewhere in the vastness of space, a part of her still felt as if she were falling into that endless darkness.

A soft roar startled Rey, forcing her to look up, Chewbacca was looking down at her from the captain's seat, concern leaking from his dark eyes.

"I'm ok, Chewie. Don't worry about me, I'm fine." She gave the creature a smile but both of them knew she was lying. However Chewbacca nodded his head and turned back to the steering wheel.

Rey took another breath, she had to regain her focus, if she wasn't careful Kylo Ren might find them.

Somewhere, in some remote region of the galaxy, Kylo Ren had woken up, panting and in a cold sweat.

"Ben!" Rey's voice still echoed in his mind.

He punched the wall beside his bed, leaving an indent in the hard metal. Why couldn't he get that blasted girl out of his head? Not only did she haunt him in the Force but now in his dreams too? How could one woman he'd met barely a handful of times have disrupted the Force within him almost as severely as when he had murdered his own father?

That fateful day in the throne room, he saw things clearly, too clearly- he would destroy Snoke and Luke and Rey would be at his side on both occasions. Together they would finally bring balance to the Force through the vanquishing of both their pasts. He had not expected her refusal and subsequent defiance, but he would let that pass for now. Rey would be joining him one day but that was a journey she would have to travel alone.

Kylo sat back, his bare back resting on the cold metal that composed his room, his pulse had relaxed as he closed his eyes and focused. He focused on the Force and for a brief moment he felt as if he were nowhere and yet everywhere at the same time- floating in the expanse of space, swimming through the swampy waters of Naboo, digging through the sands of Tatooine. But Kylo forced his concentration on one connection in particular, in his mind he always imagined it to be some vibrant shade of gold, or a faint shade of blue. He'd wondered if the colour changed according to her mood or her relationship with the Force at the time. Kylo knew, if he tried, it would lead him to where Rey and the Resistance were hiding.

He played with the thread in his mind. Snoke had lied about the Force Connection, it's true the old Supreme Leader had made them aware of the link, but Kylo now knew that, if he had looked, it had always been there, waiting for one of them to stumble upon it. Kylo pondered the thought of using the thread to find Rey's whereabouts, their link had strengthened since the Skywalker's fall, he now had no doubt he could find her.

But for now, he let the thread vanish into the Force and he drew himself back into the material world. The time was not yet right. He would let Rey call upon their link for Kylo knew that, when she did, she would join him and the end of this war would be near.

He rested his head with the wall enjoying its coldness.

"Rey." he said her name like a breath, it both relieved and tightened the tension in his chest simultaneously, if such a thing were even possible. Why?

Hi! so that's the first chapter, what did you guys think? Hope you enjoyed, I'll try update ASAP but until then , reviews are more then welcome :) May the Force be with you all- LunaPendragon


	2. Home

Rey still felt unnerved after her dream, she couldn't get back to sleep. Chills ran down her spine and the words of her heroes still echoed in her mind. For some reason, her hand still tingled, as if still feeling the cloth of Ben's cloak as an afterthought. As she clenched and unclenched her fist, it stung, as if she had recently punched something hard but she couldn't see any form of injury.  


The young woman contemplated if a small walk along the ship's halls might settle her nerves, in the weeks since Han's death there was still much of the Millenium Falcon that she had yet to uncover. However, she resigned to sitting in the copilot's seat besides Chewbacca. A casual stroll through the ship would have caused chaos with the large number of people currently inhabiting the old ship.  


Although Leia's crew has suffered many casualties, over 50 people had survived making for rather cramped living quarters. Not only that, it had been a week since they had escaped the First Order's assault and since then the Millennium Falcon had yet to lend. Fuel and food were both a problem and the reek of 50-odd bodies in that time had accumulated in the confined space. Fear and anguish also left an underlying aroma making for a rather unpleasant perfume. The residences' spirits had been quelled in their last retreat, when not a single Resistance ship had headed their call for help. Their flame had dwindled to almost extinction. They needed the spark, but that couldn't be from Leia and Rey alone.  


"We need to find a place to land," whispered Rey to Chewbacca, as she swiped across the holographic map before her.  


Chewbacca roared, "Yes, I am aware we don't have enough fuel to reach hyperspace." Rey scolded as her eyes scanned the list of planets- most she didn't recognise and the few she did were most likely under First Order rule. This realisation left a sour taste in her mouth.  


It was then that her eyes fell on a familiar name.  


"Rattatak…" she whispered as her finger hovered over the planet, according to the navigation system they had just flown past it's atmosphere.  


Chewbacca gave a discouraging howl.  


"I'd have to agree with the wookiee on this one." Rey almost jumped, as General Organa's whispered voice reached her.  


"General!" she exclaimed.  


"Couldn't sleep?" asked Leia, as she slowly made her way to Chewbacca's side, even in her tired and old state, in a thorn and dirty uniform, Leia still emitted an aura that deserved respect and authority.  


"Dreams." Rey vaguely answered, she didn't think the woman would take kindly of her having dreams about her estranged son.  


"Yes," Leia took the seat behind Chewbacca, as if she had claimed it as her own long ago. "Those can be both a burden and a gift."  


A sadness filled the woman's voice and Rey couldn't help wonder, how this woman had been in this situation for so long and had lost everything in the progress, from her planet to her love to her brother and yet, even through all that, she had never lost a single ounce of her hope and determination. How?  


"My dear, if you are suggesting Rattatak as our landing destination I would severely discourage the idea." Leia said, changing the subject. "That place has a long history with the Sith from before my father's time."  


Her father, Darth Vader. The thought lingered in Rey's mind for a moment before she spoke.  


"Growing up I had been told the stories of Asajj Ventress and Count Dooku," Rey began to scroll slowly upwards on the map as she continued. "It was such a popular story because Rattatak wasn't too far from Jakku, the planet I was raised."  


"Jakku," Leia said the word slowly, as if weighing its possible uses. "Neither side has claimed that planet since the battle of Jakku."  


"Yes, since then is has been considered a near useless planet so neither side need it, so it might be the ideal spot for the Resistance to get back on its feet."  


Leia pondered Rey's words for some time. "Ben is aware that this planet is your home, is he not? Would he not think to search for you there?"  


Rey shook her head, "I may have lived on the planet most of my life but I never considered it my home. Ben knows I would never return to it, given the choice."  


"And we aren't given any, it seems." Leia gave a small smile.  


"Chewie, do we have enough fuel to get to Jakku?"  


Chewbacca growled and raised his hairy paws.  


"So stop complaining and set a course, " she winked at Rey. "This place is really starting to smell, if you ask me."  
Jakku was a full day's travel and Chewie's landing of the vessel was a pure feat of wonder, having pulled it off with the barest amount of fuel remaining.  


"I never thought I'd return to this place." Finn said from the cockpit, where he stood between Poe and Rey, looking out over the vast mass of red sand before them.  


"Not the pleasantest memories, if you ask me." said Poe, bitterly. "No offence, Rey."  


"None taken," She replied, her eyes still wondering over the unchanging desert.  
BB-8 twirled into the room, beeping gleefully.  


"He's right though, this is where I met Finn and BB." Rey gave both a small smile.  


"Sure is!" though Fin gave her a somewhat awkward smile, his eyes momentarily wondered to the med bunk, where Rose was still lying unconscious. Rey didn't have to look into the Force to realise something had changed within her friend, but hopefully for the better.  


"Rey, where did you have us land?" Asked Leia, scanning the nothingness before them, "I don't see any cities or towns."  


Rey gave a bitter smile, "No, those are some distance off."  


When the doors of the Millenium Falcon creaked open, all the Resistance fighters capable of moving ran out, enjoying their first breath of fresh air in over a week. The sand radiated heat after a long day but the sun was near the horizon, casting large shadows of the Fallen Teeth range over the land.  


While the rest of the crew stretched their weary feet and enjoyed the warmth, Rey walked away from the setting sun where, a few meters away, a single structure obscured the vast desert land- an AT-AT Walker toppled on its side. It was hard to believe that barely three weeks had passed since the last time she had set foot within it. Everything seemed to be how she left it, the 

Teedo hadn't dared raid it until they were certain she wouldn't return.  


Three weeks… that how long she could stay away from this cursed planet.  


A series of beeps pulled her out of her thoughts. "You're right BB-8, it hasn't changed a bit since we left."  


"Wait, you lived in an AT-AT?" Poe's accented voice came from behind Rey.  


She didn't turn around as she answered, walking towards the foot of the machine, that loomed a good head taller than her, "Jakku was the sight of a great war many decades ago, the leftover machines of both sides litter this place."  


"You should really see the Starship Graveyard, it's totally epic!" chirped in Finn, excitedly, "you should have seen the three of us escape the First Order through it!"  
Rey knelt on the warm sand as she dug into the base of the machine and pushed a hidden button. A door fell to the ground with a thump, revealing an entrance.  


"I get the impression your time here wasn't the easiest." Leia's soft voice came from right beside her as she felt a reassuring hand on Rey's shoulder.  


"I did what I had to to survive," said Rey, as I waited for the parents that never came. She didn't say that last part out loud.  
Brushing the sand from her knees she turned to face the survivors, those that had dismounted the Falcon were slowly wondering towards the AT-AT Walker as if afraid it might rise and shoot at them.  


"It isn't much." She yelled to the crowd, "but we can rest here, tomorrow, before dawn, we can head to the Niima Outpost, stock up on supplies."  


The crowd wearily cheered and slowly the sun began to vanish. The AT-AT walker probably never had so many lanterns lit at once, in all the years Rey had lived within it alone, she had never used more than one at a time but, that evening, all were lit.  
Rey wouldn't describe the Resistance as jubilant, they were battered and tired and worn-out but she could now see that spark in their eyes, the joy of being alive another night and able to see the stars above them. They divided what remained of the food and water amongst themselves. From within her home, Rey pulled out a medium sized barrel of water, one she had been saving in case a sand storm prevented her from heading to the Outpost. So relieved were the Resistance fighters with it none even bothered mention it's stale aftertaste.  


From the walker and the Falcon blankets were distributed amongst the weary men and women, although the desert night was bitterly chilly, most prefered to sleep outside in the fresh air that evening. Most were already asleep as Rey sat in her makeshift nest within the AT-AT, in her hand she held her little doll made of scraps of material. How often had she pretended that doll was a Jedi sent to save her? How strange it now felt to her, now that she possessed such astounding powers herself.  


"I remember Luke once had one of these when he was younger." Rey looked up, unsurprised to see the old general looming over her. For a second Rey thought she was referring to the doll, until she realized Leia was holding her rebel helmet. It's white and orange paint was scraped and peeling and its protective glass was cracked beyond use.  


"I used to pretend I was a pilot when I was young, " Rey gave Leia a whimsical look, "and that I'd someday fly away from this planet."  
With her free hand, Leia traced the white lines that had been scraped into the wall, thousands upon thousands of lines, each one representing a day spent on Jakku, would Rey have to add another scrape in the morning?  


"It took much courage for you to suggest we take refuge her." Leia commented.  
Rey shrugged, " it was the best option."  


"In more ways than one."  


"What do you mean?"  


"If my memory serves, the Galactic Empire had a base on this planet, as well as an imperial weapons facility, right?"  


"Yes, that's right." said Rey, absentmindedly. "They're found beyond the Graveyard, but very few scavengers go there because they say some of the weapons might still be armed."  


"That's some of the best news I've heard in awhile." Leia said, causing Rey to raise an eyebrow. "Think about it Rey... what if we could make the base operational once again? Scavenge this old battlefield for weapons and machines…?"  


"You're thinking of turning Jakku into a base for the Resistance?" Rey finished, understanding the general's trail of thought.  


"Do you have any objections?" countered Leia, putting the helmet down on the floor.  


"No," Rey finally answered, "it's good to see this planet come to some use."

So that's the second chapter done :D hope you're liking the story so far and feel free to leave a review about the good, the bad and the meh ;) I'll try update ASAP but until then, may the Force be with you all! - LunaPendragon


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